Once in a Lifetime
by Angel N Darkness
Summary: True love only happens once in a lifetime. Its three months into senior year and Rory can't recall much of the last two months. What happens when a face from the past reappears? What happens when Tristan makes his Mary realize he is the one for her?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So last night an older episode of Gilmore Girls came on and it was one that had Tristan in it... I just loved Tristan even though he was arrogant and sufferable at times... LOL... I always thought that Tristan and Rory would make a good couple... So here is my first Gilmore Girls... Now some of this story will be AU because I know that Tristan left the show in the 2nd season. Well he comes back Senior year... I haven't watched the show in forever really so this is going to be fun... Anyways on to the story... Enjoy!

P.S. A specialy thanks goes out to 2 of my besties Katie and Allie for helping me when I forgot certain things... LOL... *blows kisses* I love you two!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls... * frowns * if I did Tristan wouldn't have left the show...

Rory was having a real crappy day and she just wanted it to be over with. She was three months into her Senior year of High School and even though she's gotten all A's she couldn't really remember anything that she's done the last two months when it came to school. She frowned when her cell phone rang in her pocket and after pulling it out to see who was calling she let out a pained sigh and hit the ignore button. She couldn't believe that he was still calling her after what she had walked in on two months ago. She couldn't believe that he thought she would just forgive him. She felt the tears rush to her eyes again and she furiously blinked them away.

She was glad that school was over for the day. She wasn't sure how much longer today she could keep her cool without losing it on someone. God she really hated pretending that she was okay when she was far from it. She couldn't help but smile a little because at least today she didn't have to wait for the bus. She had the jeep and she could leave as soon as she finished at her locker.

She heard some of the people around her let out gasps of shock but she didn't really pay any attention to them as she finally finished unloading the books that she didn't need to take home with her into her locker. She slammed her locker closed and with her head down she walked down the hall and out of the school. She didn't really care what had her fellow classmates at Chilton's in an uproar. All she cared about was getting to her car and getting home before she broke down. Again.

Tristan knew that his being back at Chilton would cause a commotion but he didn't really care. After all it had been two years since he has stepped foot in this school. His eyebrow raised when he saw the one girl he still thought about even though he hadn't seen her in two years. As she cut in front of him from her locker he frowned because she was pale and it looked as if she was losing weight. He knew that his Mary was stand offish but she never blew off someone well unless that someone was him that called her name and he watched as she walked right by Paris who had yelled her name three times.

He felt people clap their hands on his shoulders and his back but he actually ignored them as he followed Rory out of the school. He wasn't sure why even after two years that he couldn't forget her and he didn't understand why he had this urge to follow her right now and make sure that she was alright. All he knew is that he felt this sudden urge to protect her even more than the urge he felt when he first saw her for the first time when she started at Chilton in their freshman year.

He heard people call out his name but he ignored them. His eyes never leaving the hunched figure in front of him. He couldn't put his finger on it but he knew that something was seriously wrong and he wanted to find out what it was. He made sure to stay behind her and had to make himself come to a stop as he watched her abruptly stop and stand still in shock. His eyes went over her head and he saw Dean leaning up against what was apparently the car that Rory was heading too. He couldn't help but wonder just why she had come to a stop instead of running to Dean.

Rory lifted her head once she was past almost everybody so that she could make sure she was heading towards her car. When she was about ten feet away from her car she came to a complete stop and stood there in shock at the fact that her ex boyfriend was leaning against her car. She closed her eyes on a wave of pain but then opened them as she let the hatred and coldness she felt towards him come into her eyes. She finally got her feet moving and soon she was standing directly in front of Dean.

"Just what in the hell do you think that you're doing here Dean?" Rory spat out. She was surprised at the anger and hatred in her voice but finally she could do or say something to let him know how much she was over him. Yes, she still loved him a little but she wasn't in love him anymore. What had hurt her so much was the fact instead of breaking it off with her he cheated on her and then had the nerve to blame the fact that he was cheating on her well on her.

Dean stepped forward and looked Rory up and down and then finally looked into her eyes and he was surprised at the coldness he saw there. "Well you won't see me at your house and you won't answer my calls. I figured showing up here would get you to talk to me."

Rory shook her head in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me! I haven't answered your calls because I have nothing to say to you Dean. I won't see you at my house because the thought of having to see you is enough to make me ill."

Dean's mouth dropped open and he finally said "You have to see me Rory. After all we're boyfriend and girlfriend and it's already been two months since we've last spent time together."

This time Rory's mouth dropped open in shock but instead of answering him she glared at him and went to walk around him to the driver's side of her car but she was pulled to a stop by Dean when he grabbed her wrist and yanked on it sending her flying into him and making her scream "LET GO OF ME!"

She heard a couple people shout towards where she was and even heard a couple of people's footsteps but she looked at Dean when he said "I won't let go of you until you talk to me."

Tristan who had been talking to someone who was standing next to him as he waited to make that Rory okay quickly looked towards Rory when he heard her scream "LET GO OF ME!"

His mouth dropped open when he saw that Dean had a grip on Rory's arm. He heard a couple other people shout at Dean when they saw what was happening but he was the closest. It only took his five steps to reach where Rory was at and when he saw her trying to get her hand free from Dean and saw Dean tighten his grip yet again he became even angrier. "I believe Mary said to let her go Stock boy."

Rory's mouth dropped open as she turned her head at the sound of a voice she thought she would never hear again. When she saw Tristan she couldn't stop from giving him a slight smile because believe it or not she was happy to see him and not just because she couldn't get Dean to leave her alone. She wasn't sure why but in the last two years Tristan had been on her mind more than she wanted or cared to admit.

Dean's eyes flashed with anger when he recognized the blonde in front of him. "Stay out of this. This is between my girlfriend and me."

Tristan looked at Rory and then around and he saw that Paris, Madeline and Louise were standing near by to comfort Rory if she needed it and he saw a couple other guys standing by in case they had to forcibly remove Dean away from Rory. "Do you want me to stay out of this Mary?"

Rory felt her heart pound at being called Mary again but she finally looked at Tristan and then back at Dean and said shouted "When will you get it through that thick fucking head of yours I'm not your girlfriend anymore? When will you stop calling me and trying to come over? We're through Dean and you need to leave me alone."

Dean tightened his grip around Rory's hand when she yanked it again and heard her gasp in pain but he ignored it as he said "We're not through Rory. How is it my fault that I had to go some place else for action since you wouldn't give it to me? All that chick is to me is someone to help relieve my sexual frustration since you're frigid. We can still be girlfriend and boyfriend."

Rory's jaw dropped open in shock but before she could say anything a fist came forward and slammed into Dean's mouth and nose and she looked to see Tristan shaking his hand out as he growled "Stock boy you need to leave Rory alone. She obviously doesn't want to see or talk to you and from what you just said if I was her I wouldn't want to see or talk to you either. Now let her go before you get hit again."

Dean finally dropped Rory's wrist and Tristan gently pulled her towards his side and then motioned for Paris to come over and when she did he gently pushed his Mary towards Paris and turned back towards Dean who growled "This isn't over Tristan. Rory is mine and she'll see that. She'll get fed up with you or you'll get fed up with her not putting out."

Tristan rolled his eyes and shook his head not bothering to reply as he looked around and spotted two people who knew would make sure Dean left. "Joesph and Daniel can you escort Stock Boy out of here. I think he's done enough damage today."

The two guys Tristan addressed stepped forward and nodded and grabbed Dean by the arm and after escorting him to the car that was his which was right next to Rory's the made him get in and watched as he left and drove down the road.

Paris, Madeline and Louise were all surrounding Rory and Paris said "Are you sure you're alright Rory?"

Rory sighed and nodded "I'm fine but when did Tristan get back?"

Paris laughed. "Tomorrow will be his actual first day back. Today was his meeting with the Headmaster."

Rory smiled and said "I'm fine you guys but I do need to get going."

Paris looked at Rory and finally nodded. "If you need to talk you have my number."

Rory nodded and then walked back to her car and opened the driver's side door but was stopped from getting into her car when she heard a voice behind her say "Mary."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow thanks for all the nice reviews for the first chapter... You guys really like this story... LOL... Okay now on to the next chapter...

Disclaimer: I don't own GG...

Rory sighed and slowly turned towards Tristan and said "Tristan."

Tristan saw the exhausted look in Rory's eyes and he stepped towards her while looking in her eyes. "Come on Mary let me take you home. You don't need to be driving."

Rory shook her head and sighed tiredly. "I'll be fine Tristan."

Tristan shook his head and took the keys out of Rory's hands and threw them as Louise. "Louise you drive her car behind me. Madeline you follow behind Louise. Paris it would probably be a good idea for you to come too."

Rory's mouth dropped open in shock as Tristan started giving orders. She shook her head as she realized that everyone was jumping to do what he told them to do. She couldn't help but let a tiny smile play on her lips as she thought about the fact that it was like he had never even left. It looked as if he was still the King of Chilton. She sighed and just gave in to what Tristan wanted because she was too tired to fight him. What she really wanted was to sleep for days but she knew that she couldn't.

She looked at Tristan and gave a nod. "Fine Tristan I'll let you win this time but only because I'm too exhausted and drained for arguing. But don't get used to it Bible Boy."

Tristan smirked at the nickname she called him and he said "Well Mary we'll see about that won't we. For now let me get you into my car. You look like you're about to fall on your face."

Rory shook her head. "Cut back on the compliments Tristan or you're going to make my head swell as big as yours."

Tristan laughed at that and put his arm around Rory's waist and led her over to his black BMW 530i. He could tell that she wasn't herself because she wasn't even trying to get him to take his arm from around her waist. As he realized that he looked down at her and saw the pain in her eyes. He wished now that he would have done more than punch Dean for what he did. He helped her into his car but not before unconsciously brushing a kiss across her forehead before shutting the car door.

He looked around and saw everyone staring at him and Rory and he yelled "What in the hell are you all looking at? The show is over!"

He stood at the back of his car and watched as everyone jumped and got moving but before he could walk around his car to get into the driver's seat Daniel and Joseph came over and Daniel said "We're going to follow you, Paris, Louise and Madeline to make sure that guy isn't at Rory's when you get there."

Tristan nodded and said "Thanks boys. I'll see you there."

After opening up his car door and sliding into the driver's seat he looked over at Rory and saw that her eyes were closed and he couldn't help but smile. After starting his car and driving out of the parking lot at Chilton's he looked in his rear view mirror and saw Louise, Madeline, Paris, Joesph and Daniel following him and he wondered if this was their first trip to Stars Hollow. Although he knew that Louise, Madeline and Paris had been there before. He looked over at Rory again and saw her rubbing at her wrist and the anger rose inside of him again.

"Mary are you alright?" Tristan asked. He knew that she wasn't but he wanted to break the silence. He was hoping that by hearing his Mary talk that he would calm down some because his anger was at a boiling point.

Rory opened up her eyes and turned her head to look over at Tristan. She could tell that he was still angry by the set of his jaw and the way his shoulders were tensed up even though he was driving. Without even thinking about what she was doing she reached over and put a hand on his knee. "Tristan I'm fine. Well I'm fine thanks to you. I've never seen Dean like that before and honestly it scared me. So thank you for coming to my rescue."

Tristan took his eyes off of the road for a second and sent Rory a smirk. "Well I couldn't let him hurt my Mary now could I. So I know it's been a couple years but what have you been up to?"

Rory smiled. "Well as you can tell I'm no longer with Dean. We broke up for a while in my junior year and I started dating a guy named Jess but it turns out Jess and I are better friends than anything else. Then I ended up back with Dean and found his screwing some girl two months ago. Since then I've been avoiding him because I didn't want to have to deal with him but I see now that he isn't going to go away."

Tristan growled at that and said "I'll make sure he leaves you alone Mare. I know that I just came back and I know that we didn't always get along before I left but I won't let him man handle you like that. You don't deserve it."

Rory's eyebrows went up in surprise but she didn't say anything. She gave him a smile and squeezed his knee before looking back out the car window. She was surprised to see that they were getting ready to enter Stars Hollow. She looked back over at Tristan and realized then that he hadn't even asked for directions. "You remembered how to get to Stars Hollow?"

Tristan laughed and looked at Rory again for a second before looking back at the road. "Mary, I remember how to get to Stars Hollow and I remember how to get to your house. There isn't much I have forgotten when it comes to you Rory Gilmore."

Rory's heart skipped a beat in her chest and then she smiled and said playfully "Oh so you do remember my actual name."

Tristan smirked. "Of course I do but you're my Mary and I'm going to keep calling you Mary."

Rory shook her head with a chuckle and said "So what else do you remember about me Tristan?"

Tristan smirked and said "I remember the feel of you in my arms. I remember the way your hair smells. I remember the way your lips moved under mine when I kissed you. I remember the way you kissed me back and sighed into my mouth. Most of all I remember the way that just by kissing you that I was able to turn you on."

He laughed when he saw the blush on Rory's face and laughed even harder when she smacked him and said "Yeah well I wasn't the only one turned on when we kissed."

Tristan couldn't stop his mouth from dropping open after hearing what Rory said because he never thought that she would say something like that. He turned onto her street and then when he pulled to a stop in front of her house he shut his car off and turned towards her with another smirk. "My my Mary I can't believe you just said that."

Rory knew that she was blushing even more but she met Tristan's eyes straight on and said "Why not Tristan? After all it's been eighteen months since you've seen me. However if you noticed Tris you didn't even bother denying what I said."

Tristan shook his head. "Why would I deny it Mare when it's the truth? Hell I get turned on just by being near you. It's nice to know at least that hasn't changed."

Rory's eyes widened in surprise at his statement and she unconsciously licked her lips but when she saw his eyes following the movement she did it again and was once more rewarded with his eyes following her tongue. Before she even knew what she was doing she leaned towards him and brushed her lips lightly across his before pulling back. "Thank you for the ride Tristan."

Tristan smiled and said "You're welcome Mare. I'm going to walk you up to your door and inside though. I want to make sure that Stock Boy hasn't some how got into your house."

Rory was going to protest but she saw the determination in his eyes and just sighed and nodded. She opened up her car door and got out. She heard Tristan get out from his side and she looked around in surprise when she heard several car doors slam at once. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw not only Louise, Paris, Madeline but Joesph and Daniel too. She shook her head in wonder and led the way up to her front door.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews to the previous chapter... I'm glad you all like the story so far... Now onto the next chapter...

Disclaimer: I don't own GG...

Rory led the way up to her front door but before she could even open it the door was pulled open and her Mom was standing there with Dean right beside her making Rory take a quick step back and she said "Mom, what is Dean doing here?"

Rory looked at her daughter in concern and said "He came by to see you. Are you alright Rory?"

Rory shook her head and Tristan stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Rory's waist and then looked at Lorelai. "Hey Lorelai you may want Stock Boy to leave. Once he does we will fill you in."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow but looked at Dean and saw a look in his eyes that she had never seen before and she said "Dean I think you should leave now."

Dean's mouth dropped open and he said "I'm not going anywhere until I talk to Rory."

Tristan opened his mouth to say something but Rory beat him to it. "I have nothing to say to you Dean now leave."

Dean stepped towards Rory but didn't get close because Josh and Daniel were suddenly on either side of her with Tristan in front of her and Dean said "This is between Rory and I. You all need to stay out of it."

Lorelai watched in concern as her daughter paled and she wondered what in the world had happened today to cause that reaction. She took a closer look at her daughter and saw how Rory was shaking but she only got to take a step forward before she came to an abrupt stop when Paris said in a scathing tone "You brought us all into it when you hurt Rory today."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open in shock at what Paris had just said and once again her eyes flew to Dean and then back to her daughter. When her eyes got back to Rory it was then that she saw that Rory was subconciously rubbing her wrist and her eyes narrowed. "Dean you need to go. NOW!"

Dean looked back at Lorelai and said "How come I have to go but the asshole gets to stay here?"

Lorelai's eyes narrowed further. "Tristan gets to stay here because he brought my daughter home after something obviously happened at school since she didn't drive. Now go Dean."

Dean glared at Lorelai for a second and then turned to look at Rory and took another step forward only to be stopped by Josh who spat out "You're not getting close to her so you need to go. Now!"

Dean glared once at Josh and then looked back at Rory and said "This isn't over Rory. You will talk to me."

Rory shook her head but didn't say anything. She felt someone rubbing her back and she turned her head slightly and saw that it was Louise and she gave her a slight smile. Her tensed up body didn't relax even a little until she saw Dean walking down the street and away from her house and only then did she let out a sigh of relief and relax her body just a fraction.

Lorelai looked from Tristan to Rory to Paris to Madeline to Louise and then to the two boys she didn't know and finally said "Will someone tell me just what in the hell happened? Why is Rory rubbing her wrist? Why does Tristan and the two boys I have never seen in my life look like they are about to commit murder?"

Rory sighed because she knew that she had to tell her Mom what was going on. She sighed because she knew her Mom was going to be mad because she hadn't told her why she had broke up with Dean. She looked at Tristan who was giving her an encouraging smile and she sighed again. "Lets go inside Mom because this is going to be a long conversation and I need to sit down. I'm so tired that it isn't even funny."

Lorelai frowned but nodded and turned back towards the house and led the way she. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Tristan had his arm wrapped around Rory's waist and she wondered when that had happened. Well she didn't wonder when Tristan's arm went around Rory's waist she wondered when Rory had started to let Tristan do that. Then she frowned because she thought that Tristan had been away at Military school for the last couple of years. She shook her head to clear it and made a mental note to ask Rory about that later. Once inside she led the way to the living room and smiled slightly when she saw Tristan sit down on the couch and pull Rory onto his lap.

Once she saw that everyone was inside and sitting down some where she said "Okay first off who are the two boys that I don't know?"

Tristan couldn't help but chuckle lightly and then he said "The dark haired boy is Joesph and the guy with a lighter shade of brown hair is Daniel."

Lorelai nodded and then said "Rory why do you keep rubbing you wrist? What happened at school today?"

Rory sighed and closed her eyes but opened them back up and turned her head towards her Mom. "Well I guess I should tell you now why I broke up with Dean. I broke up with him because I caught him screwing someone else. As for why I keep rubbing my wrist it is because Dean grabbed my wrist hard today and he bruised it. What was Dean doing here Mom?"

Lorelai's eyes had widened during Rory's speech and then she frowned. "Dean was here because he said that he had tried to see you at your school but that you wouldn't talk with him. Rory why didn't you tell me sooner why you and Dean broke up? You know that you can talk to me about anything."

Rory nodded. "I know Mom but I wanted to deal with what I was feeling first before talking about it. I couldn't believe that not only had I caught Dean cheating on me but then after I confronted him about it he blamed it on me. He told me it was all my fault that he had to go else where to get satisfaction because I wouldn't give him any. I just felt so stupid. I thought he loved me."

Lorelai sighed and closed her eyes. "Rory it is in no way your fault what Dean did. You didn't make him sleep with another girl. I'm sorry that you got hurt like that though and later on we will be talking more. But for now can I ask why everyone followed you home? I can understand Tristan and the person who drove the Jeep home but why everyone else?"

Tristan opened up his mouth to reply but Paris beat him to it by saying "Well Louise drove the Jeep home Lorelai and Madeline had to follow so that Louise would have a ride back. Tristan figured that Rory may need me and I think Joesph and Daniel volunteered to follow because they had a feeling that Dean would be here when we got here and they wanted to make sure he didn't get the chance to hurt Rory again."

Lorelai nodded and said "Thank you Paris and a real big thank you to you Tristan. It seems as if you're not as bad as Rory has made you out to be."

Tristan smirked and said "Mare have you been talking about me then?"

Rory rolled her eyes but didn't say anything making everyone chuckle and then Lorelai stood up and said "Do all of you want to stay for dinner?"

At that everyone but Tristan stood up and they all shook their head and Paris said "Louise, Madeline and me have to study but thank you for asking Lorelai. Rory if you need to talk or anything give me a call. If not I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Rory nodded and said "Thank you all."

Daniel smiled. "It was no problem. We'll see you at school tomorrow Rory and Tristan."

With that Daniel, Joesph, Louise, Madeline and Paris all left after saying their goodbyes leaving Tristan, Rory and Lorelai alone and Lorelai looked at Tristan and said "Are you staying for supper then Tristan?"

Tristan smiled and looked down at Rory who was still on his lap and said "If Rory doesn't mind I will. I want to make sure that she's okay."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I'll call and order Chinese. You make sure our girl is alright Satan."

Tristan's eyebrows rose at that but he nodded and looked back down at his Mary. He couldn't help but smile at the way she seemed to cuddle into him more with a sigh as she dropped her head on to his chest. He wasn't sure what he felt right then but he knew he would think about that feeling later once he was alone.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews the previous chapter...

Disclaimer: I don't own GG...

After Lorelai, Rory and Tristan all ate supper they watched a movie. Lorelai couldn't help but smile when she looked over to the couch and saw that Rory had fallen asleep with her head on Tristan's shoulder. She wasn't sure what she should be thinking about the situation but she couldn't help but think that maybe just maybe her daughter finally found the perfect boy for her. Well not perfect because no guy was but she thought that Tristan was perfect for her daughter because she saw the way that Tristan looked at Rory and she knew that he would always be there to make sure that nothing happened to Rory.

Once the movie was over Lorelai looked at Tristan and whispered "Could you carry her into her bedroom for me please?"

Tristan smiled and nodded. He stood up and then gently picked Rory up into his arms. He smiled as she instinctively curled into his body as he carried her. He followed Lorelai to Rory's bedroom and then gently laid her down on her bed. He couldn't resist kissing her on the forehead before he stood up back up. He saw her eyes flicker open and then shut and he smiled and whispered "Goodnight Mary."

He turned and walked out of her bedroom with Lorelai right behind him. As he picked up his jacket he looked over at Lorelai. "I'll come pick her up in the morning. I don't think it's a good idea that she ride the bus to school because Dean could be there waiting on her."

Lorelai nodded and walked over and surprised Tristan by pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for everything you have done for my daughter today Bible Boy. Anything that happened in the past as far as I'm concerned is in the past."

Tristan nodded after hugging Lorelai back and then pulling back. "If I have my way about it Dean won't get anywhere near her again. If I didn't think she'd hate me I would kick his ass."

Lorelai chuckled. "I don't think she could hate you Tristan."

Tristan frowned and said "She did hate me. She told me so."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open at that and she said "Rory told you that she hated you."

Tristan nodded and then said "Well she didn't tell me she told Dean. This was before I got sent to Military school."

Lorelai nodded. "I'm sure she didn't mean it Tristan. She probably said it just so Dean would shut up. I want you to call me when you get home so that I know that you made it alright. Your parents won't yell at you for being home so late will they?"

Tristan gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "My parents aren't even home Lorelai. They are in Europe."

Lorelai bit her tongue from saying what she wanted to and gave Tristan a sad smile. "Well call me when you get home. If you need anything you call me. I'll see you in the morning."

Tristan nodded and smiled. "Night Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled and said "Good night Tristan and drive safely."

Tristan gave Lorelai one more smile and then walked out of the Gilmore house. He felt Lorelai's eyes on him the entire time it took from him to walk from the house to his car. Once he pulled open the driver's side door he looked up to the house and saw Lorelai standing in the doorway so he gave her a smile and a wave before getting into his car and heading back towards Hartford.

All the way home he thought about Rory. He couldn't believe that she was the same girl that he had left when he went to Military school. He couldn't believe that she had changed so much yet that she had stayed the same in a lot of ways. Just thinking about her was enough to bring a smile to his face. He suddenly couldn't wait for his first day of school back at Chilton after a long absence.

He frowned as he thought about what Dean had done to Rory today. He wanted to kill Dean for even daring to put his hand on Rory. He wanted to kill Dean for cheating on Rory. He couldn't believe the things he had heard Dean say to Rory today. As he thought about the words Dean had said his anger reached its boiling point and he slammed his hand onto his steering wheel.

He didn't understand how Dean didn't realize what he had with Rory. Hell even he knew that if he was with Rory that even if she wouldn't give him sex that he wouldn't have went out and found it elsewhere. There was no way that he could do that to Rory and he didn't understand how Dean could. He didn't understand how Dean could even begin to blame Rory for him cheating on her.

He knew that he had been a jerk in the past to Rory but that didn't mean that he didn't have feelings for her. Two years ago he wasn't sure how to handle what he was feeling and he wasn't sure what to do about it so he chose to revert to grade school where you picked on the person that you liked. Now two years later he knew what he had to do. He knew that he had to be there for his Mary to help her through everything and he vowed that he would be. He wouldn't let Dean or anyone else hurt Rory anymore. He would do whatever it took to make sure that she was okay.

Once at home he pulled into the driveway and shut his car off. He didn't even bother pulling it into the garage. He grabbed his jacket and got out of the car and headed inside. Once inside he took his cell phone out and called Lorelai to let her know he made it home okay and then he went upstairs to bed. After showering and changing he climbed into his bed and looked at the picture he had put by his bed when he first arrived home yesterday. He smiled at the picture before closing his eyes and whispering to the picture "Goodnight Mary."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews to the previous chapter... This chapter will be short... It's on Rory's thoughts and feelings... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG...

Rory pretended that she had fallen back asleep after flicking her eyes open for a brief second and closing them. As soon as Tristan was out of her bedroom she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her lips. She couldn't believe that he was back after being away for two years. She couldn't believe that her heart pounded in her chest when he was near her. She had woken up the second she felt his lips on her head. It had taken everything in her that she possessed not to open up her eyes and look at him longer than she had.

She heard him and her Mom talking and she wondered what they were talking about but she shook that thought out of her head. After she heard him leave she quickly shut her eyes and pretended to sleep when her Mom came in to check on her. Once she heard her bedroom door shut she opened up her eyes again and let a sigh slip through her lips.

She laid on her bed with the darkness surrounding her and wondered how even after two years Tristan could still affect her in the way that he was. She couldn't believe that after two years he still made her heart want to beat its way out of her chest. She couldn't believe that he had gotten better looking in the two years its been since she last seen him.

She heard the house phone ring and she tensed up but then relaxed when her Mom didn't come to her room. She knew that more than likely it was Tristan calling to let her Mom know that he made it home alright and she smiled at that. Without even knowing what she was really doing she moved to the side of her bed that had the night stand and pulled open the drawer and took out the picture she kept there. She then turned her lamp on for a second and looked at the picture. Before she could stop herself she kissed two of her fingers and then pressed them to Tristan's lips in the picture and then put the picture on her nightstand and closed the drawer and turned off the lamp as she laid back down.

She sighed and closed her eyes as she thought about what tomorrow could bring with the new day. She couldn't help but wonder if Tristan would be like he was today come tomorrow or if he would revert back to the way he was two years ago. She hoped that he was like he was today come tomorrow because the Tristan he was today is the Tristan she could actually see herself with. She wondered if he could see himself with her too. She opened her eyes back up and looked towards where she could see the picture frame and she smiled and shut her eyes and whispered "Goodnight Tristan."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews to the previous chapter... Okay one more short chapter and then we're back to longer updates for a while... LOL... This chapter shows Lorelai's thoughts... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG...

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After looking in on Rory one more time Lorelai walked back out to the living room. She knew that she should go upstairs to her room to sleep but she wanted to be close in case Rory needed her through the night for any reason. After getting a pillow and a blanket for the couch she laid down and covered herself up and then shut out the living room light.

As she laid on the couch waiting on sleep to come she thought about everything she had seen and heard today. She couldn't believe that Dean had hurt her daughter but she saw the proof of it. The thought of Dean touching Rory like that made her blood boil. She wanted nothing more than to hurt Dean like he had Rory but she knew that she couldn't.

She thought about Tristan and smiled slightly. She knew that even though Tristan had just come back into Rory's life that he would make sure Rory was safe and protected. She could tell just by looking at him that he had feelings for her daughter. She was actually surprised that she wasn't angry at him but how could she be angry at him when she saw just how much he cared about her daughter. After all someone who had been gone for a year wouldn't come back and do what he did for Rory if he didn't feel something for her. For that she was glad that he was back.

She knew that Rory also felt something for Tristan. She just couldn't help but wonder just how much Rory felt for the blonde headed boy. She smiled as she thought about how long it would be before Rory would admit that she had feelings for the boy they called Bible Boy. She chuckled a little at the thought of Rory finally figuring out just how she felt about one Tristan DuGray.

She was just glad that Rory had, had someone there to protect her at school when Dean showed up. She cringed at the thought of what could have happened had Tristan not been there. She cringed at the thought of what could have happened had Tristan not brought Rory home because she knew that if it hadn't been for Tristan and his friends that Dean wouldn't have left today without a fight.

She silently vowed that she would make sure that her daughter stayed safe. She silently vowed that she would do whatever she had to do in order to make sure that Dean could never hurt her baby girl again. She silently vowed that she would be at home from now on when Rory was home alone or make sure that someone was watching the house so that Dean never got the chance to hurt Rory again. With those thoughts in her mind she finally drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Oh wow I haven't updated this story since January! I'm sorry about that! I'm not sure how long this chapter will be as I have a broken thumb and I can only see out of one eye but hey at least I'm getting you an update!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG!

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Tristan woke up early and took a quick shower and then dressed for his first day back at Chilton. After making sure that he had everything he would need for the day he grabbed his car keys and then headed out of his bedroom and down the steps. He normally would get some coffee to drink but he was in too much of a hurry. After seeing that it was six thirty he walked out of his house and to his car. After throwing his back pack in the backseat he jumped in the drivers seat and started his car and then pulled out of the driveway. He wanted to get to Rory's to make sure that she was still okay after the day she had yesterday.

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Rory had just finished getting dressed and brushing her hair when she heard a knock on her front door. She tensed up because she wasn't sure who it was that was knocking. "Mom can you get that?"

Lorelai who had just popped her head into Rory's room to make sure she was almost done getting ready smiled. "Of course I can mini me. I'll let you know if it's Tristan."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why I just couldn't take the bus today."

Lorelai shook her head. "Honey it is simple why you couldn't take the bus. We didn't want to take the chance of Dean trying to corner you. Now hurry up while I go see who is at the door."

Rory nodded and finished packing her books in her school bag and then she let out a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding when she heard Tristan say "Good morning Lorelai. Is Rory ready?"

She chuckled and grabbed up her bag and walked out of her bedroom and into the living room just in time to hear her Mom said "She should be ready any second now Tristan."

She shook her head and said "I'm ready."

Tristan looked over at Rory and said "Good morning Mary. Did you sleep okay last night?"

Rory rolled her eyes but nodded. "Actually I did sleep very well last night. Thank you for asking. Do we have time to go over to Luke's to get some coffee before we head to school?"

Tristan laughed and nodded. "Yes we do. That is actually why I'm here so early. I didn't take the time to drink a cup of coffee before coming here. So I wouldn't mind getting a cup from Luke's."

Rory smiled and then laughed as Lorelai bounced up and down on her heels and said "Let me get my purse and I'll go with you two. I need some coffee also. Are we walking over or driving over?"

Tristan lifted an eyebrow and said "Why don't we walk over? We still got another half an hour before we have to leave to make it to school."

Rory nodded and said "Can I put my bag in your car though?"

Tristan held out his hand and said "Give me your bag and I'll put it in my car. Come out with your Mom when she is ready."

Rory smiled and handed her bag over and then watched as Tristan walked out to his car before turning to look at her Mom. "He really has changed in the last eighteen months."

Lorelai smiled and said "It seems as if he has hon. At least I know he'll keep you safe. If you need me for any reason today call me. I'm going to call Headmaster Charleston and let him know about Dean."

Rory sighed and said "Mom do you have to?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "You know I do honey. I don't want a repeat of yesterday."

Rory sighed again but nodded and then said "Well lets get going. This should be interesting."

Lorelai smiled and grabbed her purse and then followed Rory out of the house. She stopped long enough to make sure that the door was locked and then walked down the path and over to where Tristan was standing with his arm around Rory's shoulder. She couldn't help but think that maybe just maybe something good would come out of the bad that is happening to Rory right now. "Alright kids lets go get some coffee."

Tristan laughed but followed Lorelai as she led the way. As they were walking through the town he saw Dean and he tightened his hold on Rory slightly even as he shot Dean a glare. Once they reached Luke's he let out a sigh of relief that Dean hadn't tried to come up to them. "Alright Rory get inside please."

Rory looked over at Tristan and then when she looked over his shoulder she saw Dean glaring their way and she nodded and said "I'm going but you're coming to. Please Tristan?"

Tristan sighed but nodded. "I'm coming in to. Come on lets get some coffee so we can head to school."

Rory nodded and pulled open the door followed by her Mom and then Tristan. She walked over to the counter and sat down. "Hey Luke can we get three cups of coffee please?"

Luke shook his head and said "That stuff is bad for you."

Rory sighed and said "Please Luke? After the day I had yesterday I am in some serious need of coffee."

Luke looked at Rory questioningly and then his eyes widened when he saw Tristan sit down on Rory's right side. "What is he doing here?"

Tristan met Luke's eyes and said "I'm here to make sure Rory gets to school with no problem. Dean has been harassing her and he hurt her yesterday."

Luke's mouth dropped open and he looked at Rory. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have taken care of Dean."

Rory shook her head. "I thought I was doing just fine on my own til yesterday. Now can we please have some coffee so Tristan and eye can head to school soon."

Luke nodded and quickly poured three cups of coffee and placed them in front of Lorelai, Rory and Tristan and when Tristan pulled his wallet out to pay he shook his head and said "You saved Rory so it's on the house."

Tristan looked at Luke in surprise but nodded. He quickly drank his coffee like Rory did and then he looked back at Luke. "Can Rory and I get a cup of coffee to go please?"

Luke nodded and then poured coffee in two to go cups and gave them to Tristan. "You two be careful."

Tristan nodded and looked Luke in the eyes. "I will not let anything happen to Rory."

Luke nodded and then watched as Tristan wrapped his arm around Rory's shoulder and guided her out of the diner. He then looked at Lorelai with a raised eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

Lorelai chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not even sure if they both realize what is happening. It's going to be interesting to watch it all unfold."

Luke nodded and then said "Is Rory really alright?"

Lorelai sighed. "I don't know but what I do know is that Tristan will make sure that she is."

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Once Tristan had Rory in his car and he was in the drivers seat and driving he looked at her and said "Are you sure you're okay?"

Rory sighed but nodded. "I'm sure that I'm fine Tristan. You do realize that with us both showing up at school together is going to cause everyone to talk don't you?"

Tristan shrugged his shoulders and then shot a quick look at Rory before looking back at the road again. "I don't really care if it does or not. Do you?"

Rory smiled and shook her head. "In the past I probably would have but now no I don't care. If they are talking about me they are leaving someone else alone.

Tristan laughed and took a hand off the wheel and grabbed one of Rory's hands in his. He couldn't get enough of touching her and he couldn't believe that she was allowing him to. He couldn't help but wonder what it all meant for him and for them.

When they pulled into the school parking lot ten minutes later he parked next to Paris's car and then smiled when he saw Paris, Madeline, Louise, Daniel and Joesph all waiting on him and Rory. He got out of the car and grabbed his and Rory's bag and then went around and helped Rory out of the car. He smiled down at her and bent his head and kissed her cheek. "It looks like our friends are waiting."

Rory looked over and saw the group and smiled as she sent them all a wave. She grabbed Tristan's hand in her own and then led the way over to their friends.

She didn't even realize that she had Tristan's hand in hers until Louise squealed and said "Oh my God look they are holding hands!"

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A/N 2: *chuckles* Well that was longer than I thought it would be... *grins* Only the beginning went as I planned! Click the button and let me know what you think!


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